When learning iCat, it's best to fully understand your current operations and then learn how iCat can help and empower each step in your current process.
Take the time to write out your process. Try to get as detailed as possible. You will soon be navigating and using the features and technology in iCat to help you deliver on your existing process.
Look to see how the example below resonates with your current process. What's missing in your list? What steps do you have which are not depicted below? The closer you are to understanding your process, the easier it will be to learn and use iCat for your contents division.
Please note this is a generic process which does not outline all the deeper tools available in iCat. This process is a recommended first approach to learning iCat so that it supports immediate operations. Additional available tools and technologies (such as Field Services / Subcontractor Management / Custom Documents / Reserve Estimates / Custom Reporting) are recommended to be understood and layered into your process AFTER the basic contents process and use of iCat has been mastered and successfully supporting your current book of business.
Starting in one room, the crew begins documenting contents using the iCat app with barcodes, moving from room to room.
Large Single Non-boxed Contents (Content item is billed individually for cleaning)
Boxed Contents for Cleaning (Contents in box are billed for cleaning based on box size/characteristics)
Boxed Contents (returned as is - no cleaning) (use return-as-is status)
Single Contents (returned as is - no cleaning) (use return-as-is status)
If items are deemed rush, place a sticker on the box - and - tap the rush option using the digital inventory. Load rush items last onto the truck.
Inventory Non-Salvage Contents
Consider inventorying to use Fast Catalog (for a superior quality inventory and to save hours/days onsite)
The contents are then moved to either the pod on-site or a box truck to be returned to the shop, cleaned, and returned.
If leaving on-site in a Pod and if contents are already uploaded to the cloud, items can be scanned using the production view and transferred into the Pod—or—do nothing, as the default location of uploaded inventory is the “Onsite” location for the Job—so it will be understood that it is in the Pod if there is one there. Decide if the extra work of scanning and assigning to an on-site pod is required.
If taken back to the facility, scan each item and box as it comes off the truck and transfer it to a location named “Warehouse Receiving” (add this warehouse location if it does not already exist in iCat) - or directly into a receiving vault location.
Suggest loading rush items and sentimental items last at the job site so that they are the first items off the truck when returning to the facility.
Wet/Sub-trade Contents: In addition to physically marking the boxes “wet” or “Sub-trade (name),” you can use digital tags at the time of pack-out inventory to help administrators understand which items require subcontractor involvement.
Bring Contents to Warehouse
Offload Vehicles
Transfer Contents from Trucks to Warehouse Location.
Tip: During setup, create a fictitious warehouse location called "Warehouse Receiving"
Separate Rush/Wet/Sub-trade Contents
Move Contents to Vaults/Storage.
Print Vault Report from App to attach to the Vault/Pallet if required.
Inventory Soft Contents (if not inventoried on-site)
Office Admin - Post Pack-out Field Service
Review the Pack-out for any human error or have the Road Lead/PM review the Pack-out.
Items in cleaning boxes are the type of items that would be billed in bulk or based on the box size and characteristic (for example: Medium Bric-a-Brac)
Single items w/barcodes are actually single items. If user made an error by saving boxed contents as a single item, quickly repair this.
Hint: Additional way to review inventory is to use the third-party billing export report to ensure all line items billed for cleaning are correct. The design of this excel export report is such that every single line item is something you would bill for, while providing summary for all boxed contents that will be cleaned based on box size/characteristic.
Boxed contents should be part of the summary count and should not be described as individual line items in this document. If some items were incorrectly classified as single items when they should have been boxed contents, repair what is needed.
Non-salvage items and return-as-is items do not appear in this estimating report. If you see items that should be non-salvage or return-as-is, repair this by updating the box/item status.
Get descriptions (If the team opted for speed and skipped adding descriptions).
Use the Managers Statistics View to see which jobs need descriptions / Fast CATALOG
Send non-salvage homeowner review link ASAP (if the job contains non-salvage)
Create a Reserve Estimate and Send to Adjuster
General Admin / Billing Teams
Many Times a Day, refer to the Managers Statistics View to understand what needs to be done.
Review video to learn how to find contents to clean, when to use Fast CATALOG image recognition services, Fast LKQ Non-Salvage valuation services, bill for storage, estimate, etc.
Generate Reports if required:
Room Images Report (Fluff/padding report displays room images)
Pack-out Summary Report (Fluff/padding report displays items/boxes per room). Nice to attach with an estimate)
Generate Third Party Export report for Estimators/Billing Teams (This is the best report to help create Xactimate/estimate)
Generate Packaging Supplies report for Estimators/Billing Teams (another tool to tell you how many boxes you used at the packout and suggests quantities for the pack-back)
Make sure all items have descriptions (Managers Statistics will display this).
If homeowner was sent link to input original purchase information on-line, make sure they have formally completed thier task (Managers Statistics will display this).
Make sure cleaning departments are processing Rush Contents
Call insureds to pick up rush contents (or deliver) when ready. This information can be found in the Managers Statistics View.
At the Facility: Process/Store/Deliver
Decide which Contents to Clean
Consider using management statistics to review priority jobs or see which jobs have contents that need to be cleaned.
Consider how to communicate with the team regarding the contents they need to bring to the restoration room (Digital Pick-Lists).
Move Contents into the Restoration Area
Consider changing the location of contents brought for cleaning. Instead of moving them to the cleaning room, then the ozone room, etc., you can save all the red tape by simply scanning them into a fictitious warehouse location called “In Production.” The next time they will be transferred is when they are placed into a value/storage location after packaging. It will be easy to see what jobs/contents are currently being cleaned by referencing this "In Production" location.
After an item/box is cleaned, use the App's Production View to change the item’s status to "Restored", and then generate a refreshed Pack-Back Label from the Brother Wifi QL Label printer.
Inventory Items as non-salvage if they did not respond to cleaning.
For individual items, update the status to Replacement.
For an item that was originally in a box (where billing for all items is based on the box size/characteristic):
It should be put aside and then inventoried individually as a non-salvage item.
There is no need to remove and find the original picture from the original box inventory that was performed.
Create a new room called "Restoration Non-Salvage" to identify later the items which were pulled out of boxes because they did not respond to cleaning.
Transfer Single Contents and Boxes to vault/pallet/storage locations after cleaning and packaging.
Transfer the crates to warehouse storage locations.
For each vault/crate/pallet, consider generating a Location Report from the Mobile Device Production View, printing it to a Wi-Fi Air printer directly from the app, and placing this document in the vault’s plastic sleeve. It’s beneficial to have the warehouse physically/visually organized.
Deliver Contents
Use Managers Statistics to see which jobs are ready for delivery or which pack-back dates are approaching.
Find/pick contents and transfer them to a fictitious holding location called “Delivery Staging.”
The admin can use the web production view to search for a Job or PickList, select all items in the "Delivery Staging" location, or all items that were successfully picked, and use the action menu to mark as "Delivered" using the "Send to Delivery" option. System will then generate a packing slip pdf which can printed or emailed for customer copy/signature.
Pack-Back
Take Walk-in Pictures
Obtain Signatures
Take Walk-out Pictures
Reporting/Billing
Get Non-Salvage Values: Send to Fast LKQ (Optional)
Send Schedule of Loss for non-salvage inventory to Adjuster
Generate a Final Estimate / Invoice (pre or post delivery).
Use third part billing export report to identify all billable box counts by type + individual items for cleaning.
Close File
Decide as a team when to Close a Job (after the contents are delivered or after an invoice is paid). It is extremely important to close jobs to improve the speed of iCat.
When analyzing your macro and micro processes, you can continue to get deeper and deeper into the micro steps until you have a perfect picture of your production and administrative processes driving your current business. Then, your team will be ready to learn how to use iCat in every scenario that matters to you.
If you have a process which you don't see here, search our support forum or log into iCat, click on the Chat Icon (bottom right), and engage in additional or advanced support.